Prototype rebuild by the IMB Innovation Team. The official site is peoplegroups.org.

People group profile · PG010410

The Salt of Papua New Guinea

The Salt of Papua New Guinea, numbering about 23,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an indigenous ethnic group of Papua New Guinea.

They are an indigenous people in the New Guinea people cluster of the Pacific Islander Peoples. Their primary religion is Protestantism, and they primarily speak Salt-Yui.

Pray for the SaltPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Salt people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Salt

Fast facts

Country
Papua New Guinea
Population
23,000
Affinity group
Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
People cluster
New Guinea
Primary language
Salt-Yui (sll)
Primary religion
Protestantism
Strategic Progress Index
No Longer Unreached
Evangelical
5% or Greater but Less than 10%
GSEC
5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
Lostness priority
Marginally Reached People Group
Region
Melanesia, Oceania

Where they live

Gospel status

The Salt are No Longer Unreached, which means 2% or more are evangelical Christians. In GSEC terms, this people group is greater than or equal to 5% evangelical.

  • Congregations exist Yes
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Salt

  • Pray for the churches among this group to grow in faithfulness and maturity
  • Equip believers to reach the unreached peoples around them
  • Send out laborers from this people to the nations

Primary religion

Protestantism · Christianity

57% adherents

Primary language

Salt-Yui · Nuclear Trans New Guinea family

65% speak Salt-Yui

Gospel resources in Salt-Yui

  • Bible available, published 2014
  • JESUS Film not available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings not available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories not available

Bibles

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Salt

  1. Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
  2. Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
  3. 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
  4. Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.

Download a prayer guide

Know something we don't? Submit updates to IMB Global Research.